Police said shots were fired into a home on Tiger Flowers Drive NW late Tuesday.
ATLANTA — A 7-year-old girl was killed and her mother was wounded when someone fired into their home in west Atlanta late Tuesday, police said. Investigators said the shooting followed an argument about 30 minutes earlier, and the suspect remained at large Wednesday.
The child was identified as Zoey Price by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said officers have a clear picture of what led up to the gunfire and were working strong leads to find the shooter. The shooting added to renewed pressure on city leaders and detectives to stop violence that reaches children inside their homes.
Officers were sent to the 2200 block of Tiger Flowers Drive NW near Joseph E. Boone Boulevard just before 10 p.m. after a report of shots fired into a house, authorities said. Police found a 44-year-old woman and her 7-year-old daughter suffering from gunshot wounds. Schierbaum said officers started emergency care right away and, because an ambulance was delayed, decided to drive the girl to Grady Memorial Hospital. She arrived in critical condition, but she later died, police said. The mother was also taken to the hospital and was reported to be alert and conscious at the scene.
Investigators said the shooting grew out of a dispute between two people that happened about 30 minutes before the gunfire. Schierbaum said police believe someone came to the location and opened fire on the home, turning a disagreement into a deadly attack. The chief said detectives did not believe the shooting was a domestic situation or that the suspect was a family member, even though the people involved in the earlier dispute were believed to know each other. “We believe an individual came to this location and opened fire on the home,” Schierbaum said during a briefing.
Police did not release a suspect description or say what type of vehicle may have been used, and investigators did not say how many shots were fired. One neighbor told a television crew he heard a burst of gunfire and estimated it sounded like several rounds in quick succession. Officials also did not say whether the argument happened inside the home or elsewhere on the street, and they did not identify who was involved. Investigators have not said what relationship, if any, the child and her mother had to the earlier dispute, and police have not said whether the shooter was aiming at someone specific or firing toward the home more broadly.
Schierbaum delivered a blunt message to the shooter as detectives worked the case. “You know who you are,” he said, adding that police would take the suspect into custody. He said the killing struck officers hard, particularly those who responded and tried to save the child, and he noted that some were receiving support because of the emotional toll of the call. The chief said investigators were moving quickly, describing the leads as strong and the picture of events as clear, though he did not detail what evidence police had gathered, such as shell casings, witness statements, or surveillance video.
The block sits in a residential area near Douglass High School, and by Wednesday, a memorial began to form outside the home. Neighbors left flowers, balloons, and stuffed animals, and some described the girl as a familiar sight on the street. Kimberly Turner, a neighbor who brought items to the home, said the loss felt personal for people nearby. “This baby lost her life. Seven years old?” Turner said. Another neighbor said the girl would sometimes stop to pet his dog, and others said they had seen her playing outside with toys. An 11-year-old, Anderson Hernandez, told a reporter he was shaken by what he witnessed and cried after the shots were fired.
By Wednesday afternoon, neighbors said they were still checking doorbell cameras and home security systems to see if any video captured the shooter’s approach or escape. A reporter who went door-to-door in the neighborhood said residents told her they did not have footage that clearly showed what happened. Police have not announced an arrest or named any person of interest, and they did not say whether they believe the shooter acted alone. Investigators have also not said whether the gunfire was a drive-by attack or whether the shooter stopped and fired from a fixed spot.
Detectives were expected to continue interviews and search for video from nearby homes and streets, while medical officials tracked the mother’s recovery. Police have not said when she might be released from the hospital or whether she has been able to speak with investigators. Authorities have not announced charges, and no court dates were scheduled publicly as of Wednesday. Schierbaum said the department’s focus remained on locating the suspect and making an arrest.
The killing of Price left neighbors grieving and investigators pushing for answers about who fired into the home and why. Police said the case remained active Wednesday night, with detectives working leads tied to the earlier dispute. Authorities said updates would follow as the search continues and the mother’s condition becomes clearer.
Author note: Last updated February 26, 2026.